2.6: Encounters of the Rude Kind
The seventh session of The Brazen Helm. Played in April 2018. The Party * Eadmund, Human Magus * Sheng Háldott, Human Inquisitor * Wilhelm Widalis, Gnome Somaturge Journal Hallway Blitz The wooden golem, shining with a Light spell on it, rushes down the otherwise dark hallway, but its charge is met by a large axe-wielding orc frothing at the mouth. The golem lands a solid blow, but the axe makes a dent as well. Sheng fires at the caster they saw earlier, seemingly some sort of druid or shaman, and one of his arrows buries itself in the enemy's shoulder, but the orc grits his teeth and erects a Wind Wall halfway down the hall, creating a barrier of air that regular arrows can't penetrate but their massive ballista bolts can. In order to do something about that, Eadmund casts Flaming Sphere, which immediately makes the ballista go up in flames and then bounces towards the druid. After an explosive start, the battlefield is now awkwardly cut in half by the Wind Wall. The Knights are sitting in cover at their own end of the hall, while the six enemies, the golem and the Flaming Sphere are at the other. Recognizing that there's no point in waiting over there, but also not interested in running straight at the enemy, Sheng notices that there are doors halfway down the hall on either side. He rushes out of cover and through one of the doors, quite lucky that it happens to be unlocked and open inwards. He finds himself in some sort of storage space, and though the room itself seems to be a dead end, he kicks over a barrel and rolls it back towards the door, apparently in hopes of using it as cover. After a little more fighting, another caster emerges from among the crowd, tossing out a Scorching Ray and a Magic Missile that destroy the golem. The Knights recognize that this is actually the elf wizard who turned invisible and managed to escape from the dropoff point yesterday. The Flaming Sphere is wreaking havoc and the orcs are forced to abandon their flaming ballista, and there's a lot of confused shouting among them. With the Wind Wall up and their ballista down, they don't have many more options than the Knights do. The druid runs over to the berserker to heal him, and to all his allies' great frustration, the berserker takes this as encouragement to charge down the hall roaring, only to immediately have his head cut off by Eadmund waiting behind the corner. The other orcs seem too busy facepalming to even feel bad about the loss. Sheng reemerges from the storage room, taking cover behind the barrel. Sheng: ”Okay, what did I miss?” Wilhelm: ”Ballista's broken, Eadmund cut someone's head off, golem's down. Tragic losses on both sides.” Sheng: ”Wait, you need wood for a new one? There's plenty over here!” Annoyed that he has to use his own legs again, Wilhelm scoots across the hall and starts forming a new golem from the barrel and the door itself. Meanwhile, the Flaming Sphere squashes the elf against a wall in a smoldering heap. The visibility in that area is pretty bad at this point, but the Knights can hear the orcs clattering around with some door behind the corner, seemingly entering the room across the hall from Sheng and Wilhelm. With the hallway pretty much empty and a new golem put together, the drawn-out battle effectively moves into its final phase. Kicking open the door to the other room, also dark, Eadmund does indeed find all the remaining orcs standing inside. It's not really clear what they were planning, if anything. One of them charges him, and while he lands a slash of his own, the charger's greatsword takes a nasty chunk out of him. The golem tackles said swordsman, letting Eadmund finish him off with one last hit and twirl into cover to rest against the wall. He hasn't even had time to recover from the ballista wound yet. Sheng, having given up his precious barrel as golem material, decides to circle around and flank the orcs through the back door. However, he runs facefirst into the druid, who retaliates with a Produce Flame to the face. The golem enters the room too, and now the remaining three orcs (plus the useless half-orc dealer trembling in a corner) are under attack on two fronts. The druid creates a Fog Cloud, and he and another orc try to escape through it while the golem is busy wrestling with the third, but Eadmund hears their footsteps and hits them with a half-blind Burning Hands when they run past him, finishing off the druid. The last orc keeps running, but Sheng and Eadmund chase after him, and he surrenders when cornered at the staircase. Taking Inventory The two captives – the orc and the half-orc dealer – are disarmed and tied up in the room the last fight took place in. On a less hurried look, the Knights observe that the room itself has been converted into some sort of living space with a few beds and tables, but most importantly, there's a a large vault door on the back wall, made of metal. Sheng immediately smells money and asks Eadmund to open the door; it turns out to be unlocked, and easily opened with just a little pulling. To their great shame, the vault has been long since emptied, leaving behind only an empty room with a couple empty cabinets... and a conspicuous dug-out hole in the wall, leading into a narrow tunnel. Eadmund can feel his sword vibrating, and recalls that the Guild Alliance has a habit of building its vaults in convenient pockets of the Wormway due to their protective properties against a variety of magic and only somewhat questionable security. The dealer is mostly twitching and trying to stay quiet, but in this current situation, the orc seems willing to talk with only moderate angry grumbling. Orc: ”Yeah, boss had some guys working on that tunnel for a while now, but when they found something at the end, he suddenly decided not to go in or whatever. Then you people showed up and he ran in with a few other men, telling us to hold the line and such.” Sheng: ”The boss being...?” Eadmund: ”Bangul?” Orc: ”Yeah, Bangul.” Sheng: ”And does Bangul work under someone? Like the Tailor, perhaps?” Orc: ”The boss is the boss.” Sheng: ”What does that mean?” Orc: ”The boss. Is. The boss.” Sheng shoots him in the leg. Orc: ”GRAAH! What the hell is wrong with you!? No, he doesn't work for anyone as far as I know, gods dammit...!” Wilhelm: ”I'm surrounded by idiots.” Sheng: ”And how precious do you think your lives are to Bangul?” Orc: ”Well, that's a weird question if I ever heard one...!” Sheng: ”Sure is.” Orc: ”...” Sheng: ”...” The Knights step aside to discuss. Since the tunnel obviously connects to the Wormway, Bangul and his goons are likely to be long gone by this point. Sheng asks the orc if they have anything that'd ”smell like Bangul”, hoping to track him - the orc, a bit baffled, responds that Bangul didn't exactly live over here or anything, so that might be hard to find. Rubbing their temples, the Knights decide to just lock down the vault for now just in case someone or something tries to come out, and investigate the rest of the building instead. Leading their bound captives around, they explore and ask questions about the building. In the storeroom, they find a trapdoor and winch allowing goods to be lowered from the upper floor, but the boxes themselves are mostly filled with mundane goods like food, liquor, textiles – and a great big haul of goblinroot, of course. The captives have no idea about any corpses. The textiles' main purpose is to conceal the contraband, so they themselves are of pretty average quality, but still worth something. The Knights can't help but wonder what'll be done with all this stuff, since the Guard won't pay bounties for it. Sheng also seems interested in the building itself, given that the Knights have discussed expanding their base of operations, but this location way down in the River Quarter is pretty bad. Sheng: ”Hey, Eadmund, you elves know some sort of wizardry, right? Could you move a whole building?” Eadmund: ”First off: still not an elf. Second off... not exactly a wizard, I guess? A bit more... swishy-swashy swordy stuff? But hey, isn't Wilhelm a wizard?” Wilhelm: ”Sorry, but it'll be a looong time before I can turn a whole building into a golem.” Disappointed, Sheng will probably have to put that idea aside for now. Upstairs, they find a room with a bunch of hay on the floor and all sorts of animal care supplies in a chest, presumably used to take care of the now-dead claw lizards. Their caretaker is dead as well, and the room doesn't seem to have anything of interest. Ultimately, the Knights decide that Sheng will drop off the captives while the others keep an eye on the building. It's quite a long way across town, but they feel it's worth doing sooner rather than later. Sheng escorts the two bound captives at arrowpoint through the nightly streets, earning a couple strange looks but taking them as a matter of Brasshelm pride. When he arrives at the main City Guard barracks (about half an hour later), he hands them off to the somewhat confused guard standing by the door. ”Watch these guys for a second.” Sheng slams the doors open: ”I have arrived!” The guard dozing behind the desk snaps upright. Sheng: ”I brought some more prisoners for you, but we're still in the middle of something, so I gotta head back. Is Captain Whatshisname present?” Groggy guard: ”Uh... No, Captain Colton isn't here, but Lieutenant Fencer... might be.” The guy's been sleeping, after all. ”I'll go check.” While that guard heads into the back, Sheng talks to the one watching the captives: ”Hey, it's been a rough night. Gimme a drink, would you?” Guard: ”Uhh...” Sheng: ”Come on, be a bro.” Guard: ”Didn't you say you were in the middle of something?” Sheng: ”...” Guard: ”...” Sheng: ”...I'll be back.” Lieutenant Fencer arrives. ”Wow, you just keep bringing them in.” Sheng: ”Yeah, we're tracking that same smuggling case. We'd actually appreciate a bit of help: we're dealing with this abandoned guild hall in the River Quarter, but we found yet another Wormhole.” Fencer: ”Wormway?” Sheng: ”Yes, that. You were a big help last time, so anyone you could send would be appreciated. I'd like to borrow a horse too.” Fencer: ”O-Of course, I'll see what I can do, and take care of the men you brought.” Sheng: ”Before that, though... I've got some nasty injuries I'd like taken care of. Got medical supplies anywhere in here?” Fencer: ”Obviously. I'll show you.” Sheng, having had horrible luck with his bow all night and feeling desperate for alcohol, is hoping to nab some from the first aid kit. No such luck, as Fencer spots a guard playing solitaire in the back room: ”Oh, Adrian! Work some of that healing magic of yours, would you?” Denied booze once more, Sheng is left grumbling, but a little free healing is nothing to complain about. The Man Once Known as Boss Sheng rides back to the guild hall. It'll take a while longer before the guards arrive, but the Knights aren't really expecting more than cleanup at this point. Be that as it may, they're standing next to the closed vault in the basement, when suddenly they hear an echoing knock from the other side of the metal door. A moment's silence. More knocking. It's not extra-menacing or anything, just knocking. The Knights are understandably concerned, but decide to open the door anyway. Sheng and Wilhelm stand at the ready while Eadmund turns the crank and pulls. Inside the vault, they see an armed and armored hobgoblin, accompanied by three orcs behind him. The orcs look a little vacant and... shambling, but the hobgoblin is standing upright and relatively normal for a given sense of the word. Notably, all four have shiny pitch-black eyes, and strange protrusions of black crystal sticking out all over their body. The hobgoblin is carrying a large, awfully familiar-looking black mirror under his left arm. Neither he nor his companions make any immediate move to attack. Eadmund: ”...Bangul?” Bangul (?): ”So that is my name? Good to know.” His tone is casual, but his voice has an eldritch echo. Sheng: ”You saying you don't remember your name?” Bangul: ”Quite right. In fact, the only thing I remember is waking up in that dark tunnel with this strange object in my hands and these friends of mine standing around me. Don't mind them; they don't seem to be very talkative.” Indeed, they're just standing still and silent. Sheng: ”How did you find your way out of the Wormhole?” Bangul: ”Oh, this was the only path I could see. Why do you ask?” The Knights give each other concerned looks, not really sure how to deal with these people. Eadmund's sword seems to be going crazy, but they're getting the vague feeling that this so-called Bangul's being totally honest, even if that does nothing to reduce his suspiciousness. Eadmund: ”Do you mind if I take a closer look at that item there?” Bangul: ”Oh, I'd prefer not. I feel quite fond of it.” Eadmund: ”I promise I won't touch it, just a look.” Bangul: ”...If you insist.” Eadmund takes a careful step forward and the alleged hobgoblin turns his arm to give a better view. The mirror does indeed look practically identical to the one the Knights found on their previous foray into the Wormway. Eadmund steps back. Sheng casts Detect Magic, and the aura is the same as well. Bangul: ”Do tell, would you happen to have heard of something called a 'forge'?” Wilhelm: ”What, like the sort of thing blacksmiths use, or a specific one?” Sheng: ”Why are you asking?” Bangul shrugs: ”The word's just been running through my head. In any case, I believe me and my friends shall take our leave now.” They step forward, but Eadmund blocks their path: ”Are you sure that's a good idea, if you have like amnesia or something? We have some guards coming soon, so I'm sure we can help you with that.” Wilhelm: ”Where are you even going?” Bangul: ”I do not know, but I have a strong feeling I have no interest in staying here.” Sheng: ”You do know that you... or the person your body belongs to, or whatever is going on, is a wanted criminal?” Bangul: ”Is it? All the more reason for me not to meet your guard friends.” Bangul gently pushes Eadmund aside and walks past him, only to be stopped by Sheng's arrow flying past his face and clanging against the metal door. The Knights don't seem willing to let such an obviously ominous person leave just like that, with a valuable item in tow no less. Bangul, sighing: ”So it's come to this?” Everyone in the room springs to action. Even the orcs are surprisingly quick (though still silent) now that they're charging the Knights. Sheng focuses fire on them while Eadmund and the golem try to block Bangul, Wilhelm throwing Clinging Earth from the rear. Bangul, still not letting go of the mirror, flicks his right wrist and a long whip-like chain of black crystals snaps out. The swinging whip blocks several blows and seems to slash through the golem's wooden body like... well, not like paper, but like flesh. Still a bit confused as to what's going on, Eadmund nonetheless puts up a good fight, even surviving some whiplashes. However, instead of standing and trading blows, Bangul tries to push past him and the golem and run out the door. Eadmund charges after him with a Bladed Dash and two solid Frostbite-enhanced blows in the back. His sword cuts dire and deep, and he gets the distinct impression that any normal man should be going down by now, but Bangul still stands, only reeling a bit from the physical impact itself. Bangul: ”So it's come to this?” Everyone: ”YOU ALREADY SAID THAT!!” Eadmund manages to block a blow from Bangul's whip, but another slashes him across the face and he goes down for the count. Bangul keeps running. Sheng lands a fatal shot between the eyes of the last orc swinging its crystalline claws at him, just in time to see Bangul disappear behind a corner. Gritting his teeth, frustrated at this recent trend of people trying to run from him, Sheng gives chase. Wilhelm tries to fling more earth, but Bangul seems quite adept at deflecting it with his whip, and the gnome decides to duck behind a corner rather than get hit too. Once the hob's run past, he reluctantly wobbles over to tend to Eadmund's wounds. With Expeditious Retreat, Sheng handily outpaces Bangul – at least for the few minutes that it's active – but outpacing doesn't equal catching. His frustration grows and he can almost hear a chorus of mocking laughter in his ears as an entire volley of arrows misses its mark and Bangul hacks his way through a wooden door, running out into the street. Sheng casts Invisibility and keeps running after Bangul, trying to find a good spot to ambush him. After a moment, he manages to take a shortcut and wait for Bangul behind a corner, but though this attack is more successful, not only does Bangul take the arrow without flinching, it looks like his earlier wounds are patching themselves as well. Bangul, getting justifiably angry by now: ”Why are you so insistent, anyway?” A couple slashes leave Sheng bleeding badly and barely clinging onto consciousness, but he turns invisible once more. Bangul grunts in annoyance and resumes running. However, once he's behind a corner, Sheng pokes himself with the healing wand and activates a magic item he commissioned from Ancelm: an Amber Amulet, containing a giant bee that he mounts and continues the chase, except from the air this time. Bangul isn't that fast, but he is efficient, navigating the alleys with systematic movements at an unwavering pace. It's not clear where, if anywhere, he's actually headed. When two more of Sheng's arrows swoosh past him from the sky, he glances up before making an abrupt turn to the left and crashing straight through a ground-floor window. Running low on spells, the increasingly furious Sheng gulps a Potion of Invisibility, commands the bee to circle around the back and hops through the same window. Sheng finds himself in some sort of shop, with Bangul standing a short distance from him. However, in his hurry, Sheng makes a critical mistake: as his feet touch the floor, he lands on the glass shards left there by the broken window. Alerted by the cracking sound, Bangul turns his head in its direction and swings his whip in a wide arc. Blood streams through the air as the invisible Sheng takes a hit right across the chest and slumps on top of the shards, his consciousness finally fading to black as well. Category:Lorelm Category:Kampanjat Category:Content Category:English